Elevator structure



y 1950 A. J. KESLER 2,514,

ELEVATOR STRUCTURE Filed Nov. 10, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Adrian JBkifK'esZer July 11, 1950 J KESLER 2,514,498

ELEVATOR STRUCTURE Filed Nov. 10, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 fiyj.

Aawrz grow; [@526 T AI/urum' the elevator due to a breakage.

Patented July 11, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELEVATOR STRUCTURE Adrian John Kesler, Burke, Idaho, assignor'of one-half to Frederick W. Kesler, Soda Springs,

Idaho Application November 10, 1948, Serial No; 59,259

2 Claims. ((1187-19) a More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an elevator structure which will eliminate the use of cables and the danger of breakage adherent in the use thereof and by means'of which an elevator may be safely supported for movement in an elevator shaft by a means which will not be subject to releasing More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a double rack and pinion means by'means of which an elevator is supported for movement in either direction in a shaft and which is so constructed as to eliminate all angular thrust on the rack and pinion connection for minimizing wear and the danger of breakage and for securely maintaining the racks and pinions thereof in proper meshing engagement. r

Various other objectsand advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the'following description of the drawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a cross sectional view of an elevator shaft showing an elevator in top plan disposed therein and taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line I -l of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the elevator and a portion of the elevator shaft taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line'2- 2 of Figure 1, and

' suitable fasteningsa are secured to the inner sides of the timber lining of the shaft 5 in opposed relationship to one another, said racks extendin longitudinally of the shaft and being disposed in equally spaced relationship to the other sides thereof.- Each rack 1 includes a base which is disposed against and secured to the shaft lining and a flange 9 which projects perpendicularly from the base, intermediate of its side edges and which extends inwardly with respect to the center of the shaft 5. Each flange 9 has a corresponding rack portion I!) on each side thereof. The other two sides of the shaft lining are each provided with a pair of rails II .and I2 which railslikewise extend longitudinally of the shaft 5. and are secured by additional fastenings 8 thereto, which fastenings likewise extend through the base portions of the rails As illustrated in Figure 2, the rails ii are preferably electrically insulated from the timber lining 6 by strips of insulating material I 3. c i

An elevator, designated generally M, shown disposed within th shaft 5, includes a frame having abottom or platform It, a top frame portion 16, upright corner posts I! and longitu- .;dlina11y spaced sidemembers l8, l9 and 2B which are fastened to-the corner posts H.

For the purpose of illustrating one form of prime mover for the elevator M, an electric motor 2! of, the reversing type is shown supported on and fastened to the bottom or platform l5 and is provided with a driven shaft 22 to which a is secured a small beveled gear 23 which meshes 'witha larger beveled gear 24 which is fixed to one of the, lower side members 2i! and in corresponding bearings 21 which are secured to the fixed-a lower shaft 3!.

side members l8 and [9. The shaft 25 has a pair of worms fixed thereto, designated 28,

,which are dis-posed between the journal portions of the bearings 21 and which mesh with corresponding worrn gears 29 one of which is fixed to an upper shaft 38 and the other of which is The shafts 3i! and 3i are journaled adjacent their ends in the side members 18 and i9, respectively, preferably in bearings 32 which project from the outer sides of said members.

- A countershaft 33 is journaled at one end thereof in a thrust bearing portion of the bearing 26 and at its opposite end in a thrust hearing 34 which is secured to a portion of the side member 20. A beveled gear 35 which. is fixed to the shaft 33 meshes with a beveled gear 36 from the shaft 25 and which is disposed above the beveled gear 35. A similar beveled gear 31 on the shaft 33 meshes with a beveled gear 38 corresponding to the beveled gear 36 and which is disposed above the gear 3'! and fixed to the lower endof an upright shaft 39. The shaft 39 is J'ournaled in a pair of bearings 21 which are mountedon the side members l8 and IS on the oppositefsides of the elevator It to the first mentioned bearings 21 and said shaft 39 likewise has fixed thereto a pair of worms 28 which mesh with a, second pair of upper and lower worm gears 29 fixed to an upper shaft 39a and a lower shaft 3 l a which shafts are journaled like the shafts 30 and 3| in the side members l8 and i9, respectively.

The shafts 30 and 30a at each .end thereof :and externally of the elevator frame structure have fixed thereto relatively large pinions 49 and 4| and the lower shafts 31 and 31a have pinions 42 and 43, respectively, secured to each of their ends and likewise externally of the elevator frame. The pinions 4!), 4f, 42 and :43 at-corresponding ends of the shafts 39, 31, 30a and "3|a'engage the rack portions I3 of one of the racks 1 and the complementary pinions at the opposite ends of said shafts engage the other rack. The pinions 49 and 42 engage the rack portions l on one side of the flange 9 while the pinions 4| and 43 engage the rack portion 19 on the opposite side of said flange, as clearly illustrated in Figures 1 and'2.

The portions of the side members t8 and I9 to which the bearings 21 are secured also mount wheel journal brackets 40a two of which are secured to the outer side of each of said portions and each of which brackets 430a journal a flanged wheel 41a. The wheels 4| a engage the rails H and 12 and as best illustrated in Figure 1 are disposed so that the flanges of said wheels engage the remote sides of the heads of the rails. The wheel brackets 49a carrying the wheels which engage the rails II are preferably insulated from the elevator by strips of electrical insulating material 13, as seen in Figure 1. An electrical conductor 420. extends from the motor 21 and is in electrical contact with one of the Wheels 4 la engaging one of the rails H, which rail is adapted to carry current to the electric motor 21 from an electric source as indicated diagrammatically at 43a while the other rail ll constitutes a ground conductor back to said electric source and is connected to the electric motor 21 by a conductor wire 44 which is electrically connected to one of the wheels 4 la engaging said last mentioned rail 1 I. Suitable reversing control means, not shown, may be provided for the electric motor 2! to enable it to be driven in either direction and any suitable brake means as indicated at '45 in Figure 2 may be provided to hold the shaft 22 against rotation when the motor 2| is not energized to thereby prevent rotation of the shafts 25, 30, 3|, 33a, 3Ia, 33 and 39. A coupling is shown at 46 in Figure 2 to indicate that a number of elevators can be connected in tandem within the shaft 5. It will be understood that the elevator l4 as illustrated is only intended to disclose a structure for mounting the driving means between the prime mover 2| and the racks! and that the size,

of said elevator could be varied for affording the necessary space for accommodating passengers or other loads to be carried. Furthermore, it will be readily apparent that other types of prime movers could be utilized in lieu of the electric motor 2!.

From the foregoing it will be readily obvious that when the motor shaft 22 is driven in one direction that the shafts 25 and 39 will be driven in the same direction and by "being disposed on the remote sides of the shafts 39, 3| and 30a, am will cause said shafts to be driven in opposite directions so that the -pinions 49 and 42 will revolve in one direction as the pinions 4! and 43 are revolving at the same speed in the opposite 4 direction for moving the elevator l4 either upwardly or downwardly of the elevator shaft 5 due to the meshing engagement of the pinions 40, 41, 42 and 43 with the rack portions Ill. It will also be readily apparent that the flanged wheels 41a being in engagement with the remote sides of the rails H and 12 will function to hold the e evator f4 centrally with respect to the shaft 5 during its movement and to prevent any lateral displacement of the elevator relatively to the shaft =5 in any direction to thereby insure that the pinions will be maintained in proper meshing engagement with the rack portion 19 to minimize wear on said pinions and rack portions. Thus, it will be apparent that an elevator structure has been provided wherein no cables are utilized for raising, lowering or supporting the elevator thereby eliminating the danger of accidents due 'to breakage of a supporting cable.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spiritor scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my-invention:

1. An elevator structure comprising an elevator shaft of substantially rectangular'cross section, rack-s secured to two oppositely disposed sides of said shaft and extending longitudinally thereof, each of said racks including an inwardly extending flange having a rack portion on each side thereof, an elevator movable longitudinally in the elevator shaft, a pair of shafts journaled in portions of the elevator and extending outwardly from opposite sides of the elevator, pinions keyed to the ends of said shafts, the pinions on corresponding ends of the shafts being disposed on opposite sides of the flange of one of said racks for meshing engagement with the rack portions thereof, a prime mover connected to each of said shafts for driving the shafts in opposite directions to cause the pinions engaging each of said racks to revolve in opposite directions for propelling the elevator either upwardly or downwardly in the elevator shaft, the other two walls of said elevator shaft having rails fixed thereto and extending longitudinally thereof, brackets supported on the elevator and externally thereof, and a .rail engaging flanged Wheel journaled in each of said brackets, said wheels engaging said rails for guiding the elevator in its movement in the elevator shaft.

2. An elevator structure comprising an elevator shaft of substantially rectangular cross section, racks secured to two oppositely disposed sides of said shaft and extending longitudinally thereof, each of said racks including an inwardly extending flange having 'a rack portion on each side thereof, an elevator movable longitudinally in the elevator shaft, a pair of shafts journaled in portions of the elevator and extending outwardly from opposite sides of the elevator, pinions keyed to the ends of said shafts, the pinions on corresponding ends of the shafts being disposed on oppos'ite sides of the flange of one of said racks for meshing engagement with the rack portions thereof, a prime mover connected to each of said shafts for driving the shafts in opposite directions to cause the pinions engaging each of said racks to revolve in opposite directions for propelling the elevator either upwardly or downwardly in the elevator shaft, the other two walls of said elevator shaft having rails fixed thereto and extending longitudinally thereof, brackets sunported on the elevator and externally thereof, REFERENCES CITED and a rail engaging wheel journaled in each of said brackets, said wheels engaging said rails for The following references are of record in the guiding the elevator in its movement in the elefile of thls patent:

vator shaft, each of said last mentioned elevator 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS shaft walls being provided with two rails, said elevator being provided with two wheels engagfg g g i g? a1 P ing each of the rails, and each of said wheels hav- 556434 Parkinson 1896 ing a flanged outer edge engaging the outer edge 556:435 Parkinson g 1896 of the head of one of the rails for holding the ele- 10 vator against lateral movement in any direction relatively to the elevator shaft.

ADRIAN JOHN KESLER. 

